Cotton dropper



Feb. 24, 1925.

T. J.- SULLIVAN COTTON DROPPER Filed Nov. 26,1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 r. 1,527,494 T. J. SULLIVAN COTTON DROPPER Filed Nov. 26, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 24, 1925.

T. J. SULLIVAN COTTON DHOPPER Filed Nov. 26, iz zs :5 Sheets-Sheet s Patented Feh.24,1925. w 1,527,494 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

rrrolvies J. SULLIVAN, or COAHOMA, TEXAS.

COTTON DROPPER. 7

Application filed November 26, 1923. Serial No. 678,906.

1 '0. all whom it may concern: in which a flue head 12 is centrally secured.

Be it knownthat I, THOMAS J. SULLIVAN, The head has flaring ends and a collar 13 a citizen of the United States of America, at its upper end to which the pneumatic residing at Coahoma, in the county of conveyor (not shown) is attached. By rea- 60 Howard and State of Texas, have invented son of its downward flare of the ends of certain. new and useful Improvements in the head, the cotton and air discharged from Cotton Droppers, of which the following is the conveyer are given full opportunity to a specification. spread and. pass downward through the This invention relates to new and useful openlng 14: 1I1t0 the housing. lvlthin the 65 lmprovements in cotton droppers. housing is arranged a screened separating In feeding seed cotton to a battery of gins chamber having two inclined sides 15 and it is customary to liftthe cotton from the two vertical ends 15 formed of wire netwagon by a pneumatic conveyor and deposit ting or other foraminous material. The said cotton upon a distributor belt which sides of the chamber conform to the sides 7 15 delivers it to the various gins. Some means of the housing and are spaced therefrom. for trapping the cotton and segregating the On the sides and ends of the housing, glass air currents as maintaining the suction must covered openings 16 may be provided for in be employed. specting the screens.

The object of my invention is to provide It is pointed out that the amplified screen 20 improved means for trapping the cotton surface is sufficient to afford such a free and segregating the air currents, whereby escape of the air as to avoid clogging of the cotton may be dropped by gravity onto the cotton or the adhering of the same to the distributor belt and the air currents coninner sides of the screens. The downward veyed from the point of separation without and outward inclination also tends to free 25 dissipation. the cotton. The air passes out through the A further object is to provide an ampliscreens and the cotton falls through the fied screening surface through which the bottom of the housing. air currents may escape freely and whereby The ends of the housing have flanges 17 the cotton will not adhere to such screens. along each lower edge which are bolted to 30 A particular object is to provide a rethe flanges 18 of the side flues 19 supported volving gate having air-tight contact with on side aprons 20. End walls 21 support its housing, whereby the flow of back air the ends of the housing. The bottom of the currents into the dropper is prevented and separating chamber is open and a hopper the pneumatic conveyor is maintained. 22 is built thereunder. A cylindrical trap as A construction designed to carry out the ping chamber 23 extends longitudinally invention will be hereinafter described tounder the hopper and is formed of sheets of gether with other features of the invention. metal 24, which may be carried upward The invention will be more readily underand used to face the sides of the hopper. stood from a reading of the following A revolving gate 25 having radial longi 4o specification and by reference to the actudinal blades 26 forming pockets therecompanying drawings, in which an example between, is mounted in the end walls 21 and of the invention is shown, and wherein: suitably revolved. Flexible wiping strips Fig. 1 is a view of an apparatus con- 27 of rubberized fabric or other material, structed in accordance with my invention, are secured to the outer edges of the blades 45 a portion being shown in side elevation and and wipe the sides of the chamber 23, said a portion in section, gate revolving in a clockwise direction.

Fig. 2- is a vertical sectional view taken A throat 28 is provided below the chamber on the line 22 of Fig. 1, 23 and may be suitably connected with the Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on distributor belt housing (not shown). By 50 the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the provision of the wipers, the air cannot pass direction of the arrows, and back from the throat into the cylinder or Fig. 4 is a partial plan view showing the housing and the pockets form receptacles air flue connections. for the falling cotton, which pockets drop In the drawings the numeral 10 designates the cotton through the throat as the gate 1 55 a rectangular housing having upwardly inrevolves.

clined sides, vertical ends and a flat top 11 The air which is discharged through the screens 15 and 15 enters the fines 19 on each side. These flueshave one end closed. The opposite ends of the fines are connected with a Y-coupling 29 which in turn has connection with an air suction pipe 30.

In operation the air suction created through the pipe 30 causes the air currents entering the housing from the pneumatic conveyor through the head 12, to pass through the screen sides 15 and 15 of the separating chamber. lhese air currents convey the cotton into the chamber and owing to the large screen area, said cotton is innnediately released so as to fall into the hopper without collecting onthe screens. The air currents after passing through the screen enter the fines 1S) andpass to the pipe 80. whereby the-vacuum is maintained.

The cotton which falls into the hopper is received in the pockets of the gate 25 and dropped into the throat 28 as thegate is revolved. The wipers 2? prevent a backward or upwardpassage of air, which would interfere with the pneumatic conveyor and the falling of the cotton.

Various changes in the size and shape o'f the various parts, as well as n'ioclifications and alterations may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

hat l claim, is:

1. In a cotton dropper, a housing having an entrance at its top for receiving air conveyed cotton, a rectangular separating chan'iber within the housing having a downwardly flared and amplifiedscreening surface, air conveyors connected with the housing outside ofthe separating chamber. and a revolving air excluding gate for receiving and discharging cotton from the bottom of the chamber.

2. In a cotton dropper, a housing having an entrance at its top for receiving air conveyed cotton, a rectangular separating chamber within the housing having a downwardly flared and amplified screening surface, air conveyors connected with the housing outside of the separating chamber, a hopper below the separating chamber receiving cotton therefrom, a cylindrical chamber below the hopper, and a revolving gate in the cylindrical chamber having cotton receiving pockets and flexible wipers engaging the sides of said chamber.

3. In a cotton dropper, a housing having an entrance at its top for receiving air convcyed cotton, a screened separating chamber within the housing having a downwardly flared "and amplified screening surface, means for conveying air from the space between the housing and the chamber, and a revolving air excluding gate for receivin aznldischarging cotton from the bottom of the chamber.

4C. In a cotton dropper, a housing having an entrance at its top for receiving air conveyed cotton, a separating chamber within the housing and spaced therefrom, said chamber having inclined and amplified screening surfaces, means for conducting air from the space between the housing and the chamber. a hopper below the chamber receiving cotton therefrom, a cylindrical chamber below the hopper, and a revolving gate in the cylindrical chamber for dropping the cotton and excluding the upward passage of air.

5. In a cotton dropper, a housing having an entrance at its top for receiving air eon veyed cotton, a separating chamber within the housing and spaced therefrom, said chamber having inclined and amplified screening surfaces, air conducting flues at eachside and bottom of the space between the housing and chamber, a hopper below the chamber receiving the cotton therefrom, a cylindrical chamber below the hopper, and a revolving gate in the cylindrical chamber for dropping the cotton and excluding the upward passage of air.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

THOMAS J. SULLIVAN. 

